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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25628347">Other Reasons to Stay Awake</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajoy3/pseuds/ajoy3'>ajoy3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:56:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25628347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajoy3/pseuds/ajoy3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagome suffers from PTSD after she returns to her side of the well</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Other Reasons to Stay Awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: I wrote a short one shot based on this idea, but I really wanted to expand on it :) This will be a few chapters long (Less than 10).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akitoki Hojo was a catch, and Kagome was sick and tired of hearing it. </p>
<p>Hojo was nice, and that’s really all she could say about him. He checked in after her for years when she was in the feudal era, concerned over the plethora of illnesses her grandfather had invented, often dropping off small gifts on her doorsteps to try and give her relief. She had thought it sweet at first, but when time dragged on and the inquiries and packages continued, she had to admit she was slightly put off. Hojo didn’t know her exceptionally well- even her friends didn’t ask after her as much as he did- and yet he still seemed as interested as the first day he asked her out.</p>
<p>Once Kagome had returned home and began to appear in public somewhat regularly, (her illnesses had mysteriously cleared up- a miracle, really) he was the first to knock on her door with a bouquet of flowers in hand and a date on his lips. She had postponed, but he was undeterred. He showed up time and again, each visit had her mother swooning like a schoolgirl herself. </p>
<p>‘He’s such a nice young man,’ she would say. ‘So well mannered and kind. If I were a few years younger-!’ </p>
<p>Add in her grandfather's similar remarks, mixed with her friends approving appraisal of his physique and it all added up to a giant headache for her. They meant well, she really, really knew they did, but it was hard to imagine going out on a date with Hojo when she could hardly leave her bed. She saw ghosts at every corner, memories of a dog demon haunted her house and her dreams. She’d walk down the road and find herself falling back into the past, mirages of small huts instead of skyscrapers lining the street, a demon prowling around every corner; panic flooded her when a passing car would lay on their horn, jolting her back to the present. Every area of her life seemed to have Inuyasha and their history embedded, and she didn’t know what to do other than leave her bedroom window open at night for him. </p>
<p>It had been her mother’s doing, these dates with Hojo. Kagome had been in the yard, bow tightly gripped in her hand as she let loose arrow after arrow, her muscles tight and tense from months of neglect. Sure, she practiced, but aiming at a target and aiming at a foe were two totally different workouts. She shot until the sweat beaded down her skin, the sun burning hot as she collected her fallen arrows and drew back the string again. Her mother had approached, her small, gentle hand stilling on her shoulder, a look of concern in her eyes. Her mother wanted to help, but had no idea how. She was worried, but did not know why. She reasoned that it must be over Inuyasha, and she wasn't entirely wrong. The hanyou was only one of the reasons she couldn't sleep at night.</p>
<p>‘He’s a nice boy, Kagome. Inuyasha is gone. You might just find you enjoy Hojo’s company.’  She had given her a smile laced with concern, and Kagome felt she had no option but to nod her head and agree to go out. </p>
<p>So that’s how she found her Friday nights became a standing date with Akitoki Hojo. The first time he had taken her out, they had gone to a small noodle shop and Kagome cried. She had wanted Inuyasha to try this Ramen so badly; it was flavorful, but not too spicy. She had tried it with Ayame, and immediately wished she was sharing a bowl with him instead. She knew he would never be able to enter the shop, even with a hat covering his ears, so she had ordered take out for him. The moment she had it in her hands, she had rushed through the well with the steaming bowl, eager to impress him with a dish that wasn’t instant. </p>
<p>She had tried to put on a brave face; After all, Hojo had done nothing to deserve a date covered in tears. He had simply taken her to get a tasty meal and she cried so hard she hiccuped. He smiled fondly at her, pearly white perfect teeth beaming at her. She was so happy to go out she was moved to tears, he said. Of course she was! Who wouldn’t be thrilled to dine out when they had spent the last several years bedridden. As he handed her a cloth to dry her face he smiled, and Kagome couldn't notice his lack of fangs.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, the man was skilled at polite conversation, and Kagome wasn’t sure if she was thankful for it or not. He had an amazing ability to keep the dialogue going, never touching on anything deep or delicate, choosing to keep all topics well, topical. A lull in the conversation did not seem to bother him, easily finding a subject that they could discuss. It was tiresome to keep up with him, the constant chatter about trivial things made her head ache. It was better, she supposed, that he fill the silence as she stared at him, lost in a world of her own.</p>
<p>It didn’t seem to bother him that she was not the best companion, so she tried not to overthink it. Kagome doubted he had anything under the surface, no hidden layers of buried trauma, and she chastised herself, wondering why she needed a lover with complexities in the first place.<br/>
Hojo was nice, and that’s the entire reason she was here in the first place.</p>
<p>“I’m so glad your illness cleared up, Higurashi.” He walked with his hands in his pockets, looking totally harmless. Not like others she knew, who walked with their shoulders squared, arms crossed over a broad chest, a nonverbal signal to fuck off.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” she murmured, not entirely happy herself. </p>
<p>“I’ve wanted to take you out for so long.” He admitted, a boyish blush rising on his cheeks. “I knew if I waited, you would get better. Did the herbs help?” He asked eagerly. </p>
<p>The sidewalks were littered with people, and Kagome had trouble concentrating. So many bodies pushing past. So much potential for danger. Not like back home, with its wide-open spaces, villagers keeping a distance. The only one who breathed down her back was Inuyasha, and that she didn’t mind. He was safety, protection. Sometimes he would walk past her, bumping her shoulder along the way, other times he would hover, his large frame engulfing hers as he wrapped his arms around her midsection. There were never people around then. </p>
<p>Not like now.</p>
<p>“The herbs?” She repeated dully, gazed locked on steps of the shrine ahead. How many times had she climbed them after school, two at a time, looking for a flash of red around the estate? “Yes, they helped.” Kagome tried to swallow the lump in her throat. </p>
<p>“I knew they would!” Ever the optimist. Hojo smiled with the ease of someone who had never had to worry much. </p>
<p>He walked her to the steps, offering to take her up all the way but she declined. Hojo kissed her chastely on cheeks, grinning as he pulled away. Nothing like the hungry and demanding kisses of a demon. There was no time then; They would sneak away from the group for a moment of privacy, one ear trained for danger, the other focused on her sighs. They could never be anything but quick; demons attacked from high and low, and they often only had time to steal a kiss before they were interrupted. Would he have been gentler, if they had time? Whispered the words her heart ached to hear if they could love each other right? </p>
<p>“I’ll see you next weekend… Kagome.” His brown eyes were so bright as he tasted her first name on his lips. She nodded, biting down on her tongue and turned to ascend the stairs.<br/>
~.~</p>
<p>Mama had been bursting with questions, in what quickly turned into a weekly dating debrief. She wanted to know how Hojo was, where they went, what he said. It wasn’t that she was nosy- Mama had never overstepped in her business before, even when she ought to- she was simply thrilled to see her daughter home and acting like a typical woman her age. She should be out dating, she claimed, not mooning over someone unreachable. So many fish in the sea, and she was such a pretty girl! Her mother seemed to have an endless supply of cliches, but Kagome suffered through them. If she could make it through this bit, then she could go upstairs.</p>
<p>The first thing she would do would be to turn on the bath. Steam would rise as the water filled the tub, too hot for comfort. She needed it that way; it kept her grounded in the present. She did not often have the luxury of daily washing, let alone a bath, and hot water was only found at an onsen. Yes, if she kept the water hot, it would remind her that she was in the present, and that is where she would stay. </p>
<p>Once clean, hair brushed body lotioned, she tugged on her pajamas and headed towards the window. Leave it open, and he might come in. She always left it unlocked for him, even in the blisteringly cold winter, just in case. Kagome tugged off the covers and climbed in, trying her best not to look against the wall. He would be sitting there, sword against his chest like there was anything to defeat. </p>
<p>It was a shame he couldn't slay the demons in her dreams.</p>
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